by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
How can I then return in happy plight
Language: English
Our translations: ITA
How can I then return in happy plight, That am debarred the benefit of rest? When day's oppression is not eas'd by night, But day by night and night by day oppress'd, And each, though enemies to either's reign, Do in consent shake hands to torture me, The one by toil, the other to complain How far I toil, still farther off from thee. I tell the day, to please him thou art bright, And dost him grace when clouds do blot the heaven: So flatter I the swart-complexion'd night, When sparkling stars twire not thou gild'st the even. But day doth daily draw my sorrows longer, And night doth nightly make grief's length seem stronger.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 28 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Michael G. Cunningham (b. 1937), "Epilogue", op. 74 (1976) [ SATB soli, SATB chorus, orchestra or piano ], from Symphonic Arias -- Night [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard van Dieren (1887 - 1936), "Introduction: Sonnet XXVIII", 1916 [ baritone and orchestra ], from Diaphony (Diafonia), no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XXVIII", 1865 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carlos Claudio Spies (1925 - 2020), "How can I then return in happy plight", 1976-7, first performed 1978 [ satb quartet and piano ], from Five Sonnet-Settings, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 28, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Come in un più felice stato potrò fare ritorno", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-10-15
Line count: 14
Word count: 116
Comment puis‑je revenir en heureuse...
Language: French (Français) after the English
Comment puis-je revenir en heureuse santé, quand le bienfait du repos m'est refusé, quand l'accablement du jour n'est pas réparé par la nuit, quand mes jours accablent mes nuits, et mes nuits mes jours ? Le jour et la nuit, quoique puissances ennemies, se tendent mutuellement la main pour me torturer, l'un, en me fatiguant, l'autre, en me faisant regretter que cette fatigue n'ait servi qu'à m'éloigner de toi. Je dis au jour, pour lui plaire, que tu brilles et que tu l'embellis, quand les nuages ternissent le ciel : je flatte de même la nuit au teint sombre en lui disant que, quand les astres ne scintillent pas, tu dores la soirée. Mais, chaque jour, le jour allonge mes chagrins, et, chaque nuit, la nuit fait paraître plus grande l'étendue de ma douleur.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 28, first published 1857 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 28
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 132